Migratory bird makes pit stop in Yishun flat, takes a dip in toilet bowl

It's not every day that one gets a visit from a migratory bird.

So, the arrival of a cinnamon bittern at this writer's Housing and Development Board flat on Nov. 24 was the cause for a bit of panic.

The bird flew in quite quietly, so no one had any inkling that we had a visitor.

It wasn't until the creature let out a squawk that we ventured cautiously into the kitchen, and found it perched on top of our bamboo poles and fluttering around.

Clearly, the bird had made its way around the kitchen as well because it left little drops of creamy white poop on the kitchen counter and the floors.

Attempts to direct it out of the open kitchen window were futile.

Instead, the bird dashed/ flew into the bathroom where it landed straight in our toilet bowl:

Migratory bird makes pit stop in Yishun flat, takes a dip in toilet bowl https://t.co/VqjJA3JeoV pic.twitter.com/iexdjMLXri

— Mothership (@MothershipSG) November 24, 2024

Unable to send away this visitor on our own, we requested help from Acres (Animal Concerns Research and Education Society), who advised us to close both the toilet seat and bathroom door and sit tight.

Soon, a team of three, armed with a range of equipment — a big net, a thick towel, and an animal carrier — arrived and extracted the bittern rather quickly and painlessly, although the bird kept squawking non-stop.

A migratory bird

Cinnamon bitterns are migratory herons.

They can be found in wet and open grassy areas, such as flooded meadows and paddy fields.

They feed on insects, fish, and amphibians such as frogs.

This one, with its uniform reddish-brown colour, was likely a male; the females tend to have spots on their wings.

Found throughout Asia, some cinnamon bitterns migrate to Southeast Asia from November to April.

When making a pit stop in Singapore, these birds can be found in our mangroves — or if you were me, in your bathroom.

All images, video: Joshua Lee.